BANGOR, Maine — Two parents charged in the death of their 10-year-old son pleaded not guilty Friday morning in a Bangor courtroom.
The parents of Braxtyn Smith, 33-year-old Joshua Smith and 35-year-old Jem Bean, and the boy's paternal grandmother, Mistie Latourette, were charged with depraved indifference murder.
Smith and Bean appeared separately Friday at the Penobscot Judicial Center in short arraignment hearings. Their 10-year-old son died in February, and his death was ruled a homicide. The boy's parents and grandmother were charged less than two weeks later.
According to Bangor police and court documents, Braxtyn was taken to the emergency room at St. Joseph Hospital on Feb. 18. Nurses there alerted Maine Department of Health and Human Services officials.
Court documents showed the boy needed to be resuscitated there before being later taken to nearby Northern Light Eastern Maine Medical Center, where he died of his injuries later that night.
Court documents detail medical examiners' observations of several bruises on Braxtyn's face and body, as well as alleged abuse he suffered at home. A CT scan also showed bleeding on his brain and skull.
The affidavit detailed the 10-year-old was severely underweight for his age and went on to say family members often used zip ties to restrain the young child inside the home.
Those unsealed records revealed that Braxtyn was homeschooled, and many people in the community never interacted with him.
Bangor community members who had never met Braxtyn held a vigil for him in March, expressing how alone he must've felt.
"If only we had heard your cries sooner," Johanna Sanford said. "Braxtyn, you are loved. So very loved."
A trial date was not determined Friday. Attorneys representing Jem Bean, Joshua Smith, and Latourette will soon schedule a conference to determine a trial date. In court Friday, a possible trial start date this spring was discussed.